


Frayonne at the Clan of the Lonely Mountain

by Eisfaerie



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Dragons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8202478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eisfaerie/pseuds/Eisfaerie
Summary: This is Frayonne's adventures in the Clan of the Lonely Mountain, written for TipsyfoxPlease note that my Flight Rising clan names are derived from Determanfidd's lovely Sansukh. Why are you reading this when you could be reading the best LotR fanfic ever? Go! I'll be waiting with a box of Kleenexes.





	1. An unexpected arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frayonne arrives at the Clan of the Lonely Mountain

Frayonne woke up with a start. No! They were too strong, too many! The pain! The pain!

"Hold on, there, lassie, you're safe now."  
"Where am I? Where is Katos? Am I... Am I in the halls of the gods? "  
"I don't know who Katos is, lassie, but no, no, you're not dead. You're safe in the Lonely Mountain."  
"I don't understand. I was fighting with Katos...they rushed us, I remember. I couldn't stop them."  
As she tried to sit up, the world started spinning around her. She felt a firm but gentle push on her shoulder.  
"Lassie, lie back down. You're in no shape to get up yet. Whatever attacked you left you in a bad way. I am Oin, chief medic of the Lonely Mountain Clan, at your service"  
"Freyonne, at yours. How did I come to this place?"  
"Boromir and Thrain, two of our best soldiers, were out on patrol when they found you. They thought at first that you were dead and were about to give you a proper soldier's burial when they realized you were still breathing. So they brought you back here, where the whole team of medics worked to save your life. It was touch and go, there: you had lost a lot of blood. You've also got several broken bones. Just lie back, you need to gather your strength back.""  
"They should have let me die. I am a disgrace."  
"Tsh." The nocturne dragon shook his head. "It is no disgrace to lose in battle. And this clan has seen too much death to accept it without fighting. Anyway, here is Valentine to help you not be too bored in bed. I hope you like romance novels" Oin smiled kindly at the young dragon.

A red, white, and pink male skydancer arrived, carrying a bunch of scrolls and books.  
“Hello!” he grinned at Frayonne. “Valentine at your service.”  
“Frayonne at yours.”  
“Do you like books? I hope you like love stories! I do volunteer reading for the sick hatchlings and adults here.” Valentine said as he pawed through his books. “Love story, love story, uh, space cadets against monsters from the bog? How did that get in there?” he mumbled to himself. “Oh, this is a good one. It’s got an eternal love story, pirates, a kidnapping, a giant who does rhymes… Oh this one is good too, one of my favorites, it’s about a female dragon and a male dragon, only they don’t realize that they are perfect for each other, and they keep getting into misunderstandings. It’s quite lovely. Here, let me read this one for you.

Frayonne had not thought that she wanted to listen to a silly love story, but Valentine did have a nice voice and she was much more tired than she had thought… her eyes felt heavy and she fell asleep just as the group of sister dragons in the story arrived to a party. Valentine only stopped reading when he realized that Frayonne was snoring softly. He smiled softly at her, then grabbed the science fiction book, shrugged, and hurried over to the sick hatchlings’ room. The kids would be eager to hear more adventures of space cadet Baldar and her sidekick Leonidas.


	2. A Royal Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frayonne is getting better. Thane Dis comes to visit the hospital

“How are you feeling today?” Ioreth asked Frayonne. The blue and red skydancer was the other chief medic for the Clan of the Lonely Mountain and it was her day to do rounds.   
“Better, not as dizzy.”  
“Good, good. Bombur tells me you are eating well, that is excellent. Keep that up, you must restore your energy.” Ioreth took Frayonne’s arm. “Your pulse is much stronger. It should be safe for you to do a bit of walking around the room. Don’t go too far, though, your muscles are weak, you need to build them up again.” Frayonne nodded.  
“Excuse me, ma’am?” she said. “Yes?” “Why are the others here so excited?” She moved her wing vaguely towards the other occupied beds, where dragons were whispering to each other and grinning. “Is something happening?”  
“Ah yes, well, it’s the first Iceday of the month. This is the day that Thane Dis comes to visit the hospital.”  
“Thanedis? I’ve never heard a name like that.”  
“Heh, no, Thane is the title we give our clan leaders here. Her name is Dis. She should be here in an hour or so. All right, I need to go see the others. Remember, exercise, but nice and slow!”

Frayonne lay in bed, worrying about the clan leader’s visit. Thane. What a strange title. Thane. She needed to remember that when Dis came over. She didn’t want to say something stupid. Thane Dis. Thank you, thane Dis. In the past few weeks, she had already received so much kindness from the clan and there was no way she could repay it. Ioreth had assured her that the thane would not kick her out of the hospital and the clan’s cave, but still, what if she accidentally insulted the leader? 

Suddenly there was a commotion at the hospital wing’s entrance. A blue and white female tundra swept in, followed by a much younger blue female tundra. They walked along the beds, stopping at each one, exchanging words with the dragon there. No matter how ill or hurt a dragon might be, it would grin happily up at the thane. Frayonne could see how much the dragons loved their leader. 

Finally Dis and her daughter arrived at Frayonne’s bed. “And this must be the young Frayonne I have heard about.” Frayonne was surprised that the clan leader would know her name. “Welcome to the Lonely Mountain Clan’s home.”   
“Thank you, Dane This. Uh! I mean Thane Dis. I’m so sorry!”   
Dis smiled softly at Frayonne. “There is nothing to be sorry about. Are you comfortable? Are you well treated?”  
“Yes, everyone is so kind! I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”   
“Repay me by showing kindness to those who need it.”  
“Ah, uh, ok. I mean…”  
“Frayonne, I don’t know what your plan for the future is. I want you to know that you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to or want to. If you choose to spend the rest of your life here, we will be happy to accommodate you. But if you wish to go back to your old clan, we will help you get there. You don’t have to choose now. Take your time. Enjoy your visit. This is my eldest daughter Fili. If you ever have a problem you can’t resolve, go see her. If she can’t help you directly, she will know who can.” The blue tundra smiled at Frayonne.  
“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say but thank you.”   
“You are very welcome, Frayonne. Very welcome indeed.”


	3. A new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frayonne gets her own apartment and makes a new friend.

Frayonne was having trouble keeping up with the coatl. 

The last of her casts had finally come off and the medical team had pronounced her ready to leave the hospital wing. “You need physical therapy, though.” Ioreth told Frayonne. “We’ll set up regular visits, three times a week to start you off. For now, Narvi, our chief architect, will take you to your new living space.” 

She didn’t have to wait long before a violet, red, and rose coatl showed up. “Frayonne?”, she said, looking at a scroll. “Name’s Narvi, I’m here to take you to your personal rooms.” “At your service”, Frayonne said. "Huh? Oh yeah, at yours.” Narvi rolled up the scroll. “Come on, hurry up.” 

“I, uhm, I like your apparel.” Frayonne said as they started off. “What, this? Yeah, made it myself, the cogs and metal bits help reinforce the whole structure. Gives me extra strength when I’m working on heavy stuff.” “Oh, that’s nice.” “Look, kid, I know you’re trying to make small talk, but I’m really not interested in idle chitchat, okay? Let’s just get to the place where you’re going to live.” 

Narvi took off at a faster pace and Frayonne, her leg muscles still weak, watched the other dragon speed off in the distance. “Well, that’s very rude.” Frayonne thought to herself, as she tried to make sure she didn’t lose sight of Narvi. 

After what felt like hours of walking, Frayonne was relieved to see Narvi finally stop in front of a door, pull out a large key, and unlock said door. “This is it. Got any complaints, don’t come to me, unless it’s got something to do with the walls falling down or the ceiling leaking. Here’s the key. Good luck, kid.” and with those encouraging words, Narvi was off. 

Frayonne couldn’t help herself: she stuck her tongue out at the architect’s back before walking into her new living space. The first room she entered was a kitchen/dining area/living area. A large fireplace dominated the room, and someone had already lit a fire in it. It made the room feel warm and cozy. Kitchen implements had been hung around the fireplace. Close by was an old scarred table with mismatched wooden chairs surrounding it. The kitchen corner also held few shelves which were lined with metal boxes. Opening the boxes, she found tea, flour, sugar, and salt. 

In another corner of the room, a bunch of faded cushions were arranged artlessly together to receive reclining dragons. A low table in the middle of the cushions held various scrolls and books, mostly romance novels. “Valentine.”, grinned Frayonne to herself.

The second room was a small bedchamber, with a round bed just the right size for coatls and a storage chest meant for apparel and bed linens. The linen on the bed had seen better days: it was faded, frayed, and there were places where claws had punctured the fabric. There was also a small fireplace. 

The bedchamber had another door. This led to something she had never seen before: a personal bathroom. On one wall was a large hand basin with running cold water that was piped into the room. She played with the tap for a while, fascinated by the fact that she could start and stop the water. On the facing wall, there was another pipe running across the ceiling. When she turned on the tap, cold water fell from several strategically placed holes in the pipe. She looked at the contraption, trying to figure out was it was meant for. She turned off the water - she would have to ask someone about it. Finally, she noticed at the end of the water closet a hole in the ground with a sluice bucket next to it. This was something she had heard of! You could deposit your nightsoil in the hole, and use the bucket to pour water to take it away. Frayonne was duly impressed. No wonder Narvi was preoccupied if she was building such fancy rooms for everyone.

Frayonne made her way back to the kitchen area, grabbed the kettle, took it into the water closet to fill it up with water, then brought it back to the main room to put it on the fire. She pulled out a chipped cup and a tea pot and put them on the table. As she was waiting for the water to boil, she heard a knock at the door. Who could possibly be visiting her?

She opened the door to find a strange tableau. An orange male mirror was crouched in front of a kitten that was jumping back and forth. Behind the mirror was a cart full of different sized boxes. For a moment, Frayonne thought the mirror was going to eat the kitten, but instead, he poked the kitten with his nose to hold it steady and licked its head. “Hello?” Frayonne said. The mirror jumped up. “Oh hi! Sorry, Mittens here is being a bit silly. Aren’t you, Mittens, you silly kitty! You’re a silly kitty, yes you are. I’m Pippin, at your service, purveyor of fine familiars to the whole clan.” “Frayonne, at yours.” “Yes, well.” Pippin grinned. “Ow! Mittens, stop being such a bitey kitty. Sorry, he’s teething so he likes to bite everything. Anyhoot, do you like animals? Of course, you like animals! Everyone likes animals!” “I guess…” “Thane Dis suggested that I get you a familiar. It can be lonely when you first arrive in a new clan, and having a familiar helps alleviate the loneliness. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter!” Frayonne smiled at the enthusiasm of the mirror. “Would you like to come in? I’m just making some tea.” “Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much. Come on, Mittens, up on my back!” 

The two dragons made their way to the table and Frayonne busied herself making the tea while Pippin played with his kitten. “I’m afraid I don’t have any food to offer you.” “Oh, that’s quite all right. I have cookies!” Pippin opened a bag and pulled out a few circular objects he placed on the table. “Have one, they’re delicious!” Frayonne nibbled at a cookie, unsure, then smiled. “Hey, this is great!” “Told you! I got them from Bombur, he’s the clan’s head chef.” 

“So, do you prefer fur, feathers, scales, exoskeletons, or weird?” Pippin asked as he put his empty cup down. “Well, I used to have a pet snake when I was a hatchling…” “Scales it is! All right, let me see what I have in my boxes here. Oh, how about this? Some sort of crocodile, let’s see, the tag says it’s a gladeveins needletooth. The box has a terrarium to keep it in. It doesn’t grow much bigger than this. Do you like it?” The tiny reptile tried biting Pippin as he held it towards Frayonne. “Aw, he’s so cute! Yes, I do like him!” “Perfect. Here let me set up the terrarium for you. Where would you like it?” “Uhm, over by the pillows, I guess?’ “Excellent choice! All right, we need a bit of water, so he can go swimming, some rocks, sand, I’ve got all that.” Frayonne hurried off to get more water and by the time she came back, the terrarium was installed. Pippin carefully added water then placed the needletooth into the terrarium. “There we go! What are you going to call him?” “I don’t know.” “How about Tad Cooper? Seems like a good solid name for a reptile.” “I, uh, ok?” “Excellent, that’s settled then. Tad Cooper, welcome to your new home!”

“All right. I have to continue with my rounds.” Pippin said, as he got up. “Thank you for the tea.” “Thank *you* for the familiar.” Frayonne answered. “See you around.” Pippin waved as he picked up Mittens and went off. Frayonne stood there, grinning. “Tad Cooper. I don’t know what Pippin has been reading, but that’s a funny name.” 

As Frayonne made herself another tea, she realized she had forgotten to ask Pippin about the weird set-up in the water closet. “Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be able to ask someone else.”


	4. About food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frayonne finds some food and some friends

As Frayonne was putting away her tea things, there was another knock at the door. She was surprised to find the princess Fili standing there. “Ah, your highness,” she said, trying to do a graceful curtsy. “Oh, please just call me Fili,” the tundra dragon said. “Uh, Fili, would you like to come in?” “Thank you.”

Once they were comfortably installed on the cushions, Fili explained her visit. “I am here to see if everything is fine, or if you are missing something.”  
Frayonne was surprised to see that the princess herself was taking care of this. “Yes, everything is fine, more than fine in fact.”   
“Really? I am sorry about the quality of the objects that we furnished you with.”   
“The quality?”  
“Yes, you must have noticed that everything is old and broken. I am afraid that when the old Clan Erebor was destroyed in an invasion, everything was destroyed or stolen. We have been making due with whatever we can find, and I think we have become used to the shabby chic ethos.” Fili smiled at Frayonne.   
“No, it’s okay, I’ve never had anything so fancy in my life.” Frayonne said.   
“Oh my. Well, is there anything I can help you with? Any questions?”  
“Yes, uh, there’s a thing in the water closet that I’ve never seen before, the water falls from the ceiling…”  
“Oh yes, that is an invention of Narvi’s. She calls it an ‘indoor shower’, because she claims it is like standing in a rain shower. It is meant for cleaning up your whole body quickly.”  
“Oh wow, that’s, that’s amazing!”   
“Is there anything else?”  
“Well, there’s no food in the kitchen, and I’m kind of starting to get hungry.” Frayonne felt embarrassed to ask about food, but her stomach had been growling at her for a while now and she knew she needed to do something about it.  
“Of course. In this clan, we tend to eat together in the great dining hall. Mostly, we use our private kitchens for making snacks or for a quick breakfast or for eating at hours when the dining hall is closed.” Fili pulled a scroll from a satchel she was wearing. “I brought you a map of the mountain’s layout. She poked at a place where an X had been scrawled on the map. “This is where you reside, and over here is the dining hall. I am going in that direction, so I will take you there now. You can ask for some extra to take back to your rooms, everyone does it.” 

Fili rose from the cushions and Frayonne hurried to imitate her. As they made their way through the corridors, the two chatted amicably about this and that, and it was not long before they stood before the dining hall’s doors. “I must leave you here. Enjoy your dinner.” “Thank you so much, Fili.”

\---

Frayonne had not expected the dining hall to be so big. On one side was a raised dais and chairs and cushions were scattered in front of it. On the other side were a large number of tables of various sizes, meant to accommodate any type of dragon. From that direction came the pleasant aroma of cooking and Frayonne, already salivating, made her way towards the food. 

“Frayonne, hey Frayonne, over here!” Frayonne turned her head to find Pippin, already seated at a table, waving at her. Carefully balancing her plate full of various seafood and a pitcher of beer, Frayonne made her way over to the mirror dragon. Seated by his side was a very handsome blue pearlcatcher.   
“Frayonne, this is my best friend, Merry. Merry, this is our newest arrival, Frayonne.”   
“At your service,” Merry said, pulling his snout out of his salad. “And welcome to the Lonely Mountain.”   
“At yours.” Frayonne said.   
“How are you finding it here?” Merry asked, as he checked his own pitcher to see how much beer he had left.  
“Everything is so wonderful, and the people are so nice.”   
“Haven’t met Narvi yet, have you?” Merry grinned at Frayonne and Pippin guffawed.   
“Well, okay, she’s…”  
“Special.” Pippin interjected.   
“Yes, special.” Merry laughed. Frayonne laughed too.  
“Oooh, there’s Frodo!” Pippin said. “Frodo! Frodo! Over here!’   
Soon a dark purple tundra dragon joined them. As Frodo was being introduced to Frayonne, Merry started stealing some of Frodo’s salad.   
“Hey!” Frodo yelled as he swatted Merry’s nose. “Eat your own!”   
“But you’ve got mushrooms in yours!”  
“Not my fault I’m Bombur’s favorite.” Frodo grinned at Merry. “Maybe if you stopped playing tricks on him, he wouldn’t shortchange you on mushrooms.”  
“Hey, where’s Sam?” Merry asked Frodo.  
“Dunno, haven’t seen him today.” Frodo said, scanning the hall. Merry quickly swallowed the mushrooms he had stolen while Frodo wasn’t looking at him.  
“Probably doing important shadowy duties.” Pippin laughed.   
“Shadowy duties?” Frayonne asked.  
“Oh, well, I don’t know how things were done in your old clan, but here we select a representative for each of the 11 flights.” Frodo explained.  
“Oh? What does this representative do?”  
“They organize local celebrations for each flight’s god or goddess, they take care of the various gods’ sculptures, things like that. I can see you stealing that mushroom, Merry, put it back.”   
“I was just admiring it.”  
“Yes, admiring it before eating it. Now give me my mushroom back. Anyway, getting back to Sam, don’t tell anyone about this,” Frodo bent forwards and the three other dragons approached their heads. In a softer voice, he continued, “... but he told me he’s looking for someone to replace him as the shadow rep.”  
“Really?” Pippin said.  
“But why?” Merry asked. “He’s doing a damned good job at it. Why would he quit?”   
“He didn’t tell me, but I think he feels it’s interfering with his guardian duties. We hardly ever see him these days, and I think Bombur has gone to him to complain about you.” Merry groaned. “Oh no. Now I’m never going to hear the end of it.”   
“So you’re Sam’s charge then?” Frayonne asked Merry.   
“Not just me, the three of us are under his protective wing, so to speak. But we’d been having a nice vacation, if you will, ever since Thane Dis asked him if he’d like to represent shadow. And now, it’s all coming to an end.” Merry sighed dramatically.  
“And whose fault is that anyways?” Frodo said, grabbing at his mushroom before Merry could eat it.   
“I’m innocent!” Merry protested, waving his wings dramatically. His friends laughed, and Frayonne couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“What’s with the dais over there?” Frayonne asked at one point during dinner.  
“Oh that! That’s our entertainment center. There’s singing, music making, plays.” Frodo waved at the dais. “Also, if the thane has an important speech to give, she does it from there.”   
“And is there entertainment often?”  
“Most every nights.”  
“It’s poetry reading tonight”, Merry said, sounding like this was not something he was looking forward to.  
“Well, *I* like it.” Frodo said. “But I promised Sam I’d bring him a plate of food, and I’d better get to it.”   
“What about you, Frayonne?” Pippin asked. “Do you like poetry?”  
“I...I don’t know, actually. I don’t think I’ve ever heard any.. In any case, I think I am going to go back to my place. I am exhausted.”   
“Of course!” Pippin said. “Of course you are. Just out of hospital. Did you get any food for breakfast tomorrow?”  
“Oh no, I forgot.”   
“Wait here, I’ll go fetch it.”   
“Good night, Pippin! I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
“Night, Frodo!”  
“I guess I’m going home as well.” Merry said.”Where’s Pippin got to?”  
The mirror dragon came back, holding a few boxes.   
“Here, Merry, I got you some mushrooms.”   
“Pippin, you are a true friend!”   
“And here you go, Frayonne, some smoked sardines. You can heat them up tomorrow morning.”  
“Thank you.”   
The three dragons left the dining hall together. They walked down a few corridors chatting amiably, until they reached a crossroads. “Good night, Frayonne, good night Pip. See you tomorrow?”  
“You know you will!” Pippin grinned at his friend. They watched Merry go on his way, then Pippin turned to Frayonne. “I thought I should guide you back to your rooms. If you want. It can be quite confusing in the mountain the first few days.”  
“Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you. I was worried I would have to try to make sense of this map Fili gave me.” 

The two walked in silence for a while. Then Frayonne, trying to start a conversation, asked Pippin about Merry.   
“Merry, is he, does he have a mate?”  
Pippin, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious. He looked at Frayonne for a while before answering.   
“He used to, but she’s gone now.”   
“Oh, I’m sorry.”   
“Do you. Ahem, do you think he’s handsome?”  
“Who, Merry?” Oh yes, he’s very good looking.”  
“Of course, yes, he is. Pearlcatchers are always good looking, not like us mirrors.”  
“Oh, I didn’t mean to insult you, I’m sorry!”  
“No, no, it’s okay.” Pippin smiled sadly at Frayonne. “I know that not many find us mirrors attractive. Anyway, here’s your door. Good night.” And he abruptly left her there.

Flustered by the turn the conversation had taken, Frayonne had some difficulty finding her key and getting the door unlocked. “I’ve hurt Pippin’s feelings. I’m so stupid sometimes! Of course he’d be sensitive about his looks. Oh dear, oh dear, I’ve probably just alienated my first friend. Good going, Frayonne, you’re really going to fit in here.”


	5. The Love Emporium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frayonne seeks help for her gaffe.

The next day, after her physiotherapy session, Frayonne sought out the only dragon she knew who could help her to patch things up with Pippin. After a few requests for directions, she finally found what she was looking for: a shop with a giant sign above the door proclaiming that this was “The Love Emporium”. Next to the door hung a smaller wooden sign with the message “The Love Doctor is In”. 

The Love Emporium, it turned out, was mostly a bookstore: shelf after shelf contained books and scrolls, and signs above the shelves promised “adventure romance”, “historical romance”, “science fiction romance”, “comedy romance” and many other types of romance that Frayonne had never even heard of. The Emporium also sold other items: candles, incense, fertility statues, and other such things. There was also a large locked box with a note on it that said “Marital Aids”. She wasn’t sure what that meant and wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. Frayonne picked up a few books and read through some chapters while she waited for the store owner to finish with the clients he was serving. 

“Frayonne!” Valentine - for this was his shop - yelled as soon as the other clients had left. “Have you come to buy a book? That one is very good!”   
“Ah, no, actually, I’m here to ask you for some advice.” Frayonne quickly put the book back on its shelf.  
“Ah! Here to consult with the Love Doctor, I see. Just a moment.” Valentine went to the shop door, turned over the small sign (it now said that the love doctor was busy), closed and locked the store door, and ushered Frayonne into a smaller room where he immediately started making tea. Once the tea was served and the two comfortably laying on cushions, Valentine started questioning Frayonne.  
“So you need some relationship advice?”  
“Yes. I think I hurt somebody’s feelings yesterday, and I want to make amends.”  
“You think? Or you know?”  
“Uh, well, I’m pretty sure that I hurt his feelings.”  
“And you have romantic feelings for this dragon?”  
“What? No! I just, I want to be friends, I don’t have a lot of friends. I don’t think I have any friends.”  
“Nonsense! I’m your friend.”  
“Are you?”  
“Of course!” Valentine patted Frayonne’s hand. “Now. Are you sure you don’t have romantic feelings for him? I’m much better at fixing romances.”  
“Valentine.”  
“All right, all right. I’ll do what I can. Tell me what you told him.”  
“I asked him if his friend had a mate.”  
“Oh, Frayonne. You really said that?”  
“I panicked! I couldn’t think of anything to say.”   
“OK, ok. And what did he say in response?”  
“Uhm, he asked me if I thought his friend was good looking, and I said yes, of course, and then he said that nobody thinks that mirrors are good looking, and then he left.”  
Valentine sighed. “And I take it this friend of yours is a mirror.”  
“Yes.”  
“And perhaps his name starts with a P? And his friend’s name starts with an M?”  
“Ye-es. How did you know that?”  
“Nothing magical.” Valentine shrugged. “This clan just doesn’t have a lot of mirrors in it.” He sat back and thought for a few seconds. “Ok, here is what you’re going to do. You’re going to go to Alris’ flower shop and you’re going to buy some flowers, maybe a lei, maybe a corsage, maybe a crown. Hm, no, not a crown. Anyway, here’s some coin for you to buy something. Shush, just take it. Then you are going to go to Pippin’s familiars shop and you are going to give him the flowers. You are going to say that you are sorry that you hurt his feelings, that you apologize sincerely, and that if he can find it in his heart to forgive you, that you would like to be friends again. And then you are going to shut up and listen to what he has to say. If he forgives you, then great, but remember that he will still be hurt by your remark and it will take some time to get back to how you were before. If he says that he can’t forgive, then you will say that you understand and you will leave. Don’t try to argue with him, he doesn’t owe you his forgiveness, he doesn’t owe you anything. If he says that he can’t forgive you for now, then tell him that you will always be ready to become friends again if he can ever find it in his heart to forgive you and then leave.”   
“That seems, I mean, you want me to give up right away? Without fighting?”   
“No. I am telling you to respect his feelings. You want to fight for this friendship? Fine, if you should meet, show him respect, treat him like a dragon that deserves attention, not just as a stepping stone to another dragon’s favors.”   
“I wasn’t trying to get Merry’s favors!”  
“No? Are you sure? Merry is very handsome, and all the female dragons around here swoon over him. And why else would you ask if he was single?”  
“I don’t know, I don’t know!”  
“Frayonne, don’t lie to yourself. You’re attracted to Merry, and it’s quite normal! Heck, if I were a female, or if my preference lay towards males, I too would be following Merry around like a lovesick hatchling.” Valentine leaned forward a bit. “Look, Merry is a bit of a pest, always playing tricks on dragons and getting away with it because of his good looks. Pippin may not be the best looking dragon around, but he is a hard worker who takes excellent care of his familiars. Which one do you think would make the better father?”  
“I’m not looking for a mate.” Frayonne grunted.  
“All right, all right. I keep forgetting.” Valentine shrugged. “Take my advice, or don’t. It’s up to you. But whatever you do, remember to treat Pippin with respect. He deserves that.”


	6. Now is the winter of our discontent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans of mice and dragons go oft awry

After her visit to Valentine, Frayonne hid in her room for three days, going out only for her physiotherapy and to collect food from the dining hall at hours when she was fairly sure that she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew.

Valentine’s words haunted her. Why had she asked Pippin about Merry? Did she feel attracted to the pearlcatcher? Sure, he was good looking, more than good looking if she was to be honest with herself, but that wasn’t a reason to want to nose boop with a dragon. There were more important qualities to look for in a mate than whether he would make handsome babies. And whenever she tried to think about it, she just couldn’t see herself making a nest with Merry. 

She sighed at herself. Had she... could she have been trying to put off Pippin? It was obvious that Pippin liked her, maybe more than that, but she felt only friendship towards the mirror dragon. She hadn’t wanted him to think that things could go further than that. Was that why she had said it? A clumsy attempt at making it clear that she wasn’t interested in him in a romantic way? 

What a mess she had made. The dragons here had been so kind to her, and this was how she repaid them, by being cruel to them. She didn’t fit here, she would never fit anywhere. They should have left her to die. 

\---

On the fourth day, she got up extra early, put extra food in Tad Cooper’s terrarium, wrote a letter explaining why she was leaving and put it on the kitchen table, stuffed a pouch full of fish, and made her way through the caves towards the higher reaches of the mountain. Some careful probing of her physiotherapist had revealed that she would never be able to leave by the main doors as they were always guarded (not that she thought they would stop her, but she didn’t want anyone, especially not Pippin, to try to catch up with her and try to persuade her to come back). However, there were balconies towards the top of the mountain that were meant for viewing purposes. If she could find one that was empty and not in view of the main doors,, she would be able to fly away without any dragon seeing her and she would be far away before they found her letter and realized she was gone for good. 

She was checking her map of the mountain to try to decide which corridor she was supposed to take when she heard a great booming sound. She looked up and up and up to find a purple guardian looking down at her. “Hello!” the guardian said. “Are you lost?”  
“I’m just, I was told there was a balcony around here? I wanted some fresh air.”  
“You’re Frayonne, aren’t you?”  
“Yes?”  
“Sam, at your service.”  
“At yours”, she replied. Of all the bad luck! She had to run into the one guardian she didn’t want to. Maybe he would just show her the balcony and leave her alone?  
“My poor Frayonne, you took a wrong turn back there. You’re in the area where the Flight Representatives live and work.”  
“Oh, oh, I am sorry.”  
“Here, let me show you the right way.”

She followed Sam back a ways until they reached a crossroads where six different corridors met. Sam made the booming sound again.  
“This is where you made your mistake. Don’t feel bad, everyone gets lost here the first time. See? That’s the corridor you want. Here, let me take you all the way to the balcony you’re looking for, it will be faster that way.”  
“That’s really not necessary,” Frayonne said, but she knew it was a losing battle. Once a guardian had decided that you needed help, there was no way to stop them from giving you that help. 

Sam started up the corridor. “Come along, Frayonne,” he called back when he realized she was still standing at the crossroads. Frayonne sighed and followed Sam. Well, maybe she would still be able to make her escape. If he didn’t stay around, she’d be able to fly off… No, the whole point had been to leave without anyone seeing her. She decided that she would try again tomorrow. At least, with Sam’s help, she’d know how to get to the balcony quickly. 

Two large wooden doors marked the entrance to the balcony. They were barred from the inside, but Sam unlocked them. As soon as he did that, a glacial wind blew them open. 

“Here we go,” Sam said, stepping out onto the balcony.

For a moment, Frayonne stood, gaping, before she walked carefully out. A heavy snow was falling and the wind was blowing the flakes everywhere so that you could barely see in front of you. Sam wrapped a wing protectively around Frayonne as she stood there, her teeth chattering. 

“I’m afraid you can’t see much today. The snow storms have begun and it’ll be like this for several weeks, if not months.”  
“Really?” Frayonne felt despair. There was no way she could leave in this kind of weather. She would die within hours!  
“Oh, don’t worry,” Sam said, misunderstanding the source of her misery, “there is plenty of food in the mountain! We’ve been stockpiling all summer and autumn. Come in, come in, you’re freezing!”

The big dragon struggled with the doors and finally managed to close and bar them again.  
“Come on, I’ve got the perfect drink to warm you right up and put a smile on your face!”

Frayonne followed Sam back to the sacred area of the mountain and into a large room where wall hangings illustrated the life of the Shadowbinder. He made her sit beside a roaring fire, found a duvet and wrapped her in it, then disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with two cups. She smelled the cup, thinking it was tea, but the smell was different. Pleasant, but strange. She looked up at Sam, perplexed.  
“Schokolatd,” he said, as though that explained everything. Seeing her blank stare, he added a bit more. “It’s a sacred nut that we import and make a special drink from, usually for the celebrations around the shortest day of the year in the middle of winter. But sometimes a dragon just needs its soothing medicinal and religious properties. Careful, it’s hot.”

She sipped a tiny bit. “Oh. Oh, this is delicious!”  
“Isn’t it though?” Sam grinned at her. “The perfect remedy for the winter malaise. For the Yule celebrations, we add a sacred square of marshmallow and maybe a dusting of cinnamon. You must have some then.”  
“I’m not a shadow dragon, though.” She said, a bit sad at missing this ceremony. She had no idea what a marshmallow was, but she did know cinnamon, and it did sound like it could make this drink better, if that was even possible. “And should you be telling me about secret shadow mysteries?” she added, teasing the big dragon.  
Sam boomed again. “Don’t worry about that, all of the flights hold the schokolatd ceremony. It wouldn’t be a proper Yule time if we didn’t all have it.” 

The two dragons sat beside the fire, drinking their hot schokolatd drink, Sam telling Frayonne about what it meant to be a flight representative, and Frayonne telling Sam about her physiotherapy and how wonderful the dragons at the hospital were.

As Frayonne was finally getting ready to go back to her rooms and saying her thanks and goodbyes to Sam, he looked for several seconds at her without a word.  
“They miss you, you know.”  
“They? Who?”  
“You know who. My charges: Frodo, Merry, Pippin. They hope to see you at dinner this evening.”  
“Sam, I don’t think they do, at least not Pippin. I hurt his feelings and…”  
“Even Pippin.” Sam interjected. “Frayonne, listen to me: making friends is hard for a mirror. A lot of dragons look at them with fear or disdain. But Pippin told me that you treated him decently right from the start, that you didn’t act as though he might attack you at any moment. You were kind to him and he is grateful for it. Please, Frayonne. Come to the dining hall this evening. I’ll be there as well and I can bat Merry on the nose if he says anything inappropriate.”  
Frayonne looked at the floor for a few seconds. When she looked up at Sam, there were tears welling in her eyes. “Okay,” was all she managed to say. And then she ran away, back to her rooms, before she started crying in front of the guardian dragon.


	7. Awkward reunions and hanging skulls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam shows that guardians are not subtle dragons and the clan gets ready to celebrate the Riot of Rot.

When Frayonne had arrived at the dining hall, Sam had made sure that she was seated next to Pippin. Apart from an initial and rather stiff greeting, however, the two of them barely said a word to each other, while Merry and Frodo chattered away as though they weren’t aware of the tension at the table. Sam, however, said very little and kept his eyes on the young coatl and the mirror. As Frodo was getting up to get some dessert, Sam pushed him back down. “No, Frodo, sit down, you’re tired. Pippin and Frayonne will get us desert, won’t you?”   
“Yes, sure,” Pippin mumbled, while Frayonne simply nodded. As they headed towards the kitchens, Pippin whispered to Frayonne, “Well, that was a bit heavy-handed, don’t you think?” Frayonne decided that now was the time to show some courage.  
“Look, Pippin, I’m sorry about..”  
“Frayonne, listen, about the…”

They both stopped.   
“You go first.” Pippin said.  
“No, you go first.” Frayonne said.   
“Well, somebody go first!” Bombur growled at them as the big orange snapper passed by with a plate full of cakes and pies. “I’ve got dessert to serve! Now, get out of the way!” Pippin and Frayonne both burst out laughing, then quickly made their way to the dessert line. 

“Pippin,” Frayonne spoke softly in an effort to keep their conversation private from the other dragons waiting in line, “I’m really sorry about hurting your feelings the other day. I really hope you can forgive me, but if not, I understand. Uh, Valentine told me I was supposed to give you flowers, but I don’t have any.”  
Pippin snickered. “Valentine wants everyone to buy flowers all the time. I think he’s sweet on Alris the flower dragon.” Then he became serious. “Frayonne, I want you to forgive me.”  
“What? Why? I’m the one who…”  
“No, no, I got all insulted over something that wasn’t an insult. Merry is a very handsome dragon, I know that, and I shouldn’t take people complimenting him as an insult towards me.” Pippin sighed. “Sam tries really hard to remind me that I am my own dragon and that I am worthy and that I mustn’t believe all the bad things that they say about mirrors, but it’s hard to get it in my head, and sometimes I forget and I think that everyone hates me just because of what I am.”   
“Oh, no, no, I don’t hate you! I like you! You’re a great dragon, Pippin. Can we… can we be friends again? I really want to be your friend.”  
“And I want to be your friend too.”   
“Hurrah!” Bombur said, for they had reached the front of the line by then. “Why don’t you celebrate your friendship with a nice cake? That’ll be 50 treasure please.” 

***********

Over the next few days, Frayonne began seeing unusual goings-on around the caves: one dragon passed her by with seven (she counted) hats perched precariously on top of his head, others would go by dressed up in strange costumes, and macabre decorations were appearing everywhere. One evening, at dinner, she noticed a dark red mirror coordinating a small group of young dragons decorating the hall with bones and skulls and paintings representing regions of the scarred wasteland.   
“What’s going on?” she asked Merry. Pippin had arrived late and was getting his food, and Frodo was nowhere to be seen. “What are they doing?”  
“Oh, that there is Durin, our plague representative, and he’s recruited some youngsters to help prepare for the Riot of Rot celebrations.”  
“Riot of Rot?”  
“Yes, it’s the yearly celebration for the plague flight. Every month, we celebrate a different flight. This month it’s plague’s turn. Didn’t you have things like that at your old clan?”  
“Uh, no.”   
“The theme is death and disease. A bit depressing, if you ask me, but to each flight their own aesthetic, I guess. The best part though is the fancy dress ball. Everyone dresses up in a costume and there’s a parade throughout the mountain, and then we all end up here and we dance all night and there are nibbles for when you’re hungry and plenty of beer and ale for when you’re thirsty. It’s fabulous!”   
“It does sound nice, but I don’t have a costume.”  
“You should go see Frodo at his clothing shop,” Pippin said as he sat at the table. “This is his busiest time of the season, but I am sure he could help a good friend find a costume.”   
“Well, that rules you out,” Merry grinned at Pippin, who responded by sticking his tongue out. 

“Yes, I’ll do that, I’ll go see Frodo tomorrow,” Frayonne promised herself.


	8. The Riot of Rot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Frayonne discovers the True Meaning of the Riot of Rot. Also: dancing dragon style.

[](http://imgur.com/bkTWa1F)

_From left to right, top row: Frodo, Sam, Frayonne; bottom row: Pippin, Merry  
The gang is all dressed up for the Riot of Rot_

On the day of the festival, Frayonne dressed up in the costume she had purchased at Frodo’s tailor shop, then went in search of Pippin. Her costume was something that Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo - who was helping at the shop that day - had described as the Bloody Mummy, although what a bloody mummy was, Frayonne did not know. But Bilbo had assured her that it was an appropriate scary costume for the festival. 

Pippin was just closing up shop when she arrived. He was dressed all in brown silk, a plumed hat perched on his head.  
“What are you dressed up as?” Frayonne asked.  
“I’m dressed as Dori, the famous explorer.” Pippin said.  
“I thought the idea was to dress up as scary creatures? Isn’t that the whole point of the festival?”  
Pippin shrugged. “Well, I guess yes, but we’re not a plague clan, so we can dress however we want.”  
“Should I go change?” Frayonne asked, suddenly worried about her choice.  
“No! No! Lots of dragons will be dressed up as something scary, you’ll fit right in.”

As they made their way through the mountain, the two friends soon found themselves surrounded by other dragons also wearing fancy costumes, all heading in the same direction.  
“So where are we going now?” Frayonne asked.  
“The festival starts in the throne room. The plague representative, Durin, will make a speech, there’ll be some sort of official ceremony opening the festivities, and then there’ll be a procession through the mountain to the dining halls where there’ll be music and dancing, and lots to eat and drink. The opening ceremonies can be a bit dull, but the rest of the evening should be fun.”

As they turned a corner, they were joined by Merry. The pearlcatcher had covered himself in pieces of cardboard that had been cut and painted to look like fish and bubbles. “I’m the ocean!” he grinned at Frayonne.  
“Again?” Pippin said. “You were the ocean last year!”  
“Hey, don’t mess with success, I always say! Plus, it’s the only appropriate costume for a water dragon.”  
Pippin sighed. “You could have at least made some new decorations. These ones are old and tattered.”  
“They’ll be fine. Who’s going to notice?”  
“You forgot to make some new ones, didn’t you?”  
Merry shrugged. “I was getting the beer ready for the celebrations. Who has time for making costumes?”  
“Apparently everyone but you.” Pippin teased. “There’s Frodo!” He turned to Frayonne. “Frodo always wears his latest creation for these kinds of celebrations. It’s his way of advertising his shop.”  
“My new line!” Frodo said, excitedly, as he joined his friends. “The gentledragon’s fancy costume for soirees.” He had a black top hat, black waistcoat, and black pants, all decorated with a bit of red cloth.  
“Very fancy.” Merry said, looking very serious. Pippin giggled.  
“Laugh all you want, I bet I’ll have 10 of these ordered by the end of the week.”

When they reached the throne room, there was already of crowd of dragons gathered close to the dais. Frayonne looked all around her in awe. The throne room was a vast hall that could easily contain ten times the dragons that lived in the mountain, with parallel rows of artfully decorated columns and tapestries all over the walls. As they approached the dais, Frayonne noticed that a large rectangular object covered in a dark red cloth stood right beside the dais. Two snow-white guardians stood beside this strange object, keeping the curious away. 

“Come on, Frayonne, there’s Sam!” Pippin said, before she could ask about the strange object.  
Sam was dressed in a variety of white items, his face hidden behind a large bird’s skull decorated with white plumes. He was surrounded by a dozen of toddlers, all grinning up at him.  
“Roar. Roar.” said Sam. “I am the Abominable Snow Dragon. Who dares to come into my lair.”  
“No, you’re not.” one tiny white Tundra declared. “You’re my friend Sam.” The other hatchlings all giggled in delight.  
“I do not know who this Sam is, but I am sure that he is a very handsome guardian with a bee-ootiful beard,” Sam said, picking up the tundra hatchling, cradling her in one arm, and tickling her. “The Abominable Snow Dragon tickles all hatchlings!” When Sam noticed his friends coming towards him, he put the tiny tundra down.”Now, who wants candy?”  
“Me! Me! Me!” the hatchlings all cried.  
“Here you go, here you go, and here you go. Now go back to your parents before I eat you all up!” The hatchlings ran away, giggling, clutching their candy.

“I want candy too!” Merry grinned at Sam.  
“You can have candy after dinner.” Sam said.  
“Aww.”  
“Hush!” Pippin said. “The ceremony is starting.”

Thane Dis and her prince-consort, Vili, had climbed the dais. The thane, wearing a gold ceremonial armor set, lifted her arms and the conversations around the hall slowly ceased.  
“Welcome, friends, old and new. Winter has arrived, but we are safe and warm within our mother the Lonely Mountain. Once again, we are here to give thanks to the gods who brought us forth and guide us through our days and nights. Durin, if you will begin the ceremony. please.”

Dis and Vili sat down on their thrones while Durin climbed up the dais. The mirror seemed a bit nervous as he scanned the room. He looked down at a piece of paper, cleared his throat, then yelled at the crowd. “The uh.. the Riot of Rot is begun!” Then he waved at the two white guardians, who immediately grabbed the canvas and pulled it off, revealing a large cart with a sign on the side proclaiming “Plague salutes All The Gods”. On the cart itself were 11 large cardboard eggs. One of the guardians pulled on a rope and the tops of the eggs raised up, revealing days-old hatchlings dressed up as each of the dragon gods. Some of the hatchlings were asleep, others were sucking their thumb or chewing on their costume. A vast sighing sound greeted the sight of the hatchlings and then the assembled dragons started whistling their approval. 

“Very clever of Durin,” Sam murmured to Frayonne. “Plague dragons are not very popular in this clan: it was an attack by a marauding group of plague dragons that destroyed the old clan. So every year, Durin tries to come up with something that will make everyone forget about that. And who could resist the charm of hatchlings?”  
“Ah! A ceremony like I love them.” Merry declared. “Short and to the point!”

Soon afterwards, the dragons began getting ready for the march. Dis and Vili opened the procession with a very-relieved looking Durin by their side. The mirror grinned at everyone he saw. They were followed by the two white guardians who were now on cart pulling duty and behind came the rest of the clan in no particular order. It was a slow but rowdy procession through the caverns and hallways carved within the mountain, as costumed hatchlings ran back and forth through the adults legs, stopping at various dragons to request candy. Sam had distributed bags of candies to his friends so even Frayonne was able to reward the youngsters who would always start by declaring what they were dressed as before begging. Whenever Frayonne noticed some shy hatchlings who would hang back, she hurried over to them to ask them what they were and giving them some candy.  
“This whole riot of rot is a children’s festival,” Frayonne looked at Sam for confirmation  
“Yes, though it was more of an accident than careful planning on Durin’s part. Certain guardians may have accidentally started distributing candy last year, and it became so popular with the hatchlings that it has become part of the ritual.”  
“Certain guardians,” Merry laughed, as he rewarded a hatchling that was dressed like a depin with a few more candies. “You mean certain very purple, very shadow-y guardians”  
“I have no idea who you are talking about,” Sam said, as he picked up a tiny guardian hatchling, bussed it on the top of its head, dropped a few candies into its pocket, and handed it back to its parents.

*********

The dining hall was set up differently than its usual configuration. The tables had all been pushed to the walls to make room for dancing, chairs were scattered here and there, and two extra stages had been set up. Already, dragons with a variety of musical instruments were up on the various stages, tuning their instruments.. 

The tables were already covered in plates of food and beer and ale kegs had been set up in between the tables.“First, we feast, then we dance!” Merry declared. “I’m getting the beer for everyone!” The others made their way to the tables to gather up food, then they found some unoccupied chairs. Soon, Merry came back, grasping five full steins. 

 

As they were finishing up their food and drinks, Merry began pointing at the various bands with a carrot for Frayonne.  
“Over there, that band, they call themselves the Dancing Eggs. They do music for hatchlings and their parents. Lots of flutes and drums. That big band there, its name is the Jeri-Atrics. It’s a play on words because Jeri is their conductor. They play old-fashioned dance music for the more sedate dragons. And in that corner, that’s for the teenage dragons. The band is called the Frostbite Beetles, their music is very modern, very fast, very loud. Most adults hate it.” Merry winked at Frayonne.

As parent dragons sat on the floor, cradling their toddlers, the band called the Dancing Eggs began playing a happy tune. One of the band members clapped her hands and stomped her feet and sang a song about flying, and the dragonlings clapped their hands and stomped their feet and sang along. Sam seemed mesmerized by the sight. “Excuse me, friends, I think little Snowflake needs some candy.” he mumbled as he headed over there.  
“Guardians,” Merry shrugged. “They can’t resist toddlers.” 

Pretty soon, the whole guardian population was sitting with the toddlers, happily singing the silly tunes, while grateful parents headed to the other side of the hall for an evening of dancing.

A lovely blue and purple coatl stopped in front of Frodo. “Would you like to dance?” she asked him, and he nodded and quickly followed her.

“That’s Genild.” Pippin told Frayonne. “She’s been pursuing Frodo for months now, but he’s been so busy they’ve hardly seen each other.”  
“Excuse me, gentle dragons,” Merry said, “I promised Sansukh the first dance.” The pearlcatcher flew over to an orange female imperial dragon, and they sauntered over to where the other dragons were already getting into line.  
“Would you like to dance?” Pippin asked Frayonne.  
“I..I don’t know how to dance,” she answered, embarrassed, as she watched the dragons salute each other then start to move back and forth in what seemed to her a complex pattern.  
“Oh. Well, we can always do the new crazy dancing. You don’t need to know anything to dance it. Come on!” Pippin hurried over to where the Frost Beetles were already playing their first number. Frayonne followed him a bit reluctantly. The band was composed of only four dragons, with three playing a lute, and the fourth whacking away rapidly on a drum. They were singing some sort of simplistic love song where every fourth word seemed to be “ooooooooh!” 

Pippin joined the crowd of teenaged dragons who were already dancing. Every dragon seemed to be doing its own thing, wagging its tail, swinging its body, sometimes leaping up into the air for a few beats. “Come on!” Pippin yelled at Frayonne. “All you have to do is keep the rhythm!” Frayonne looked at what Pippin was doing and started imitating him, and very soon she was shimmying around with gusto, yelling “ooooh!” in time with the band. 

After several songs, Pippin and Frayonne headed back to their chairs, laughing. “I’m exhausted!” Frayonne told him. “My physiotherapist didn’t prepare me for this at all.”  
“Here, sit down, I’ll go get us some beer.”

Frayonne looked over at the other dance floor. Merry was now accompanying a pale female mirror. At first she couldn’t find Frodo, but then she realized that it was because he was no longer dancing. Instead, he and Genild were in a corner, talking to each other, their faces so close that their snouts were practically touching.  
“Will wonders never cease.” Pippin grinned when Frayonne pointed them out to him. “I might finally become an uncle! And won’t Sam be proud.”  
“Proud of what?”  
“Back already?” Pippin asked Sam.  
“All of the toddlers have fallen asleep and the parents have taken them back to their rooms. What am I supposed to be proud of?” 

At that moment, Frodo and Genild came over to join the group. The two dragons were walking side by side so close that their wings kept brushing against each other.  
“Oh!” Sam said, and a big grin broke on his face. “I think we all need a celebratory drink!”


	9. Winterlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dragons are celebrating Winterlude with winter sports. But what danger lurks around the icefields?

"It's time for WINTERLUDE! Come join us for 5 days of winter sports, and evenings of songs and plays! WINTERLUDE!   
Goal puckie!   
Broom Puckie!   
Ice Dancing!   
Toboggan!  
Standing Toboggan!  
Wind Chasing!   
And many other sports!!!!  
See Ori to sign up for one of the competitions"

 

"I saw the poster at the cafeteria entrance for Winterlude," Frayonne told her group as she sat down for dinner.   
"Yes, somebody really likes exclamation points," Merry grinned at her.  
"OK, but what exactly is Winterlude?"  
"Only the best time of the year," Merry said.   
"You think anything that doesn't involve work is the best time of the year," Pippin interjected.  
"That is very true, and that is because I am a very discerning dragon."  
"You mean a very lazy dragon."  
"Pippin, my old friend, I am hurt! So hurt that only a beer could settle my pain."   
Pippin laughed as he filled his friend's glass from the pitcher.  
"But what is Winterlude?" Frayonne tried again, knowing well that those two would bicker all day long if given a chance.  
"It's a week long celebration consisting of dragons playing various winter sports during the day and listening to music or plays in the evening," Genild explained. "It's all dedicated to the Icewarden, as celebration for his protection during wintertime. You can sign up for the competitions, or you can participate in one of the non-competitive sporting events, which is really just for fun, or you can just cheer on the athletes."  
"Are you all competing?"  
"I believe so."  
"Not Sam," Frodo said. "He's volunteered to be one of the hatchling-sitters."  
"What a surprise," Merry laughed.  
"Frayonne, I can show you around," Pippin volunteered. "My sport isn't held until the fourth day of Winterlude, so I have plenty of time."  
"Thank you, Pippin, I would appreciate that greatly."

+++++++++++  
Day 1  
The first day of Winterlude, there was a short opening ceremony during which a large fire was started in a pit. "The fire is to help dragons warm up without having to go inside." Pippin explained. "There'll be warm drinks available here as well, so if you ever feel cold, just come here and the volunteers will get you warmed up in no time."

After the ceremony, Merry flew off to the top of the mountain in order to practice his standing tobogganing, while the rest of the group headed to the frozen lake. They soon caught up to a half-dozen guardians, Sam included, herding seemingly all of the clan's hatchlings towards the lake. "Hi, Ms Frayonne, Mr. Pippin, Mr. Frodo, Ms Genild!" Snowflake the little tundra waved from the top of Sam's head where she was perched. "We're going to learn how to skate!"   
"Good for you!" Pippin called back. "Now be careful and listen to what Mr. Sam has to say."   
"I will!"   
"All right, everyone," Sam said, "wave bye bye now. We'll probably see you at lunch time."   
The friends waved at the hatchlings, who all waved back, yelling bye bye.

The four friends headed towards the goal puckie area. Wooden panels had been used to set up several rectangular enclosed spaces. At each end of the long side of the rectangular rink stood woven nets attached to a steel frame.   
"All right, everyone, wish me luck!" Genild said. Frodo rubbed his nose against hers.   
"Good luck." Frayonne said.   
"Good luck, even if you don't need it." Pippin said. 

"Those woven nets at each end are the goals that give goal puckie half of its name." Pippin told Frayonne. "The other part is the puckie, which is that donut-shaped piece of wood that you can see in the middle of the ice. The players control the puckie with a wooden stick that fits in the middle of the puckie. You can slide the puckie or pick it up with the stick and throw it, but only with the puckie stick. The goal of the game is to score the most goals by putting the puckie in the other team's goal.   
"There are two teams that play against each other at a time, and each team is composed of three offense/defense players and a goalie. The goalie stands in the goal, which we also call the net, and tries to stop the puckie from entering. The goalie is the only player who is allowed to catch the puckie with his or her hands. Goalies must be one of the smaller dragons, so a lot of them are faes." 

"There's Genild!" Frodo exclaimed as two teams flew into one of the enclosures. "Genild is one of our top goal puckie players," he added proudly.   
"Genild's team is the Blue Lightning." Pippin said. "For this first game, they're playing against the Mountaineers."  
"Is that? Is that MoonMoon in the goal?" Frayonne asked.   
The white fae was almost unrecognizable in her protective leather clothing and face mask.  
"Genild told me that they had a surprise in store." Frodo said. "That must be it."   
"But isn't she physically handicapped?" Frayonne asked. "Is she going to be able to play?"  
Frodo shrugged. "Winterlude is open to everyone. If MoonMoon wants to play goal puckie, then by the Warden, they're going to let her play. Don't worry, I'm sure that they'll take good care of her." Frodo did not sound very confident, however.

It turned out that they need not have worried about MoonMoon. She might not have been the most elegant of flyers, but she was a natural at throwing herself in the way of an oncoming puckie. She seemed to have no fear whatsoever as she jumped and rolled and stopped the puckie again and again from entering her goal. Soon, all of the spectators, not matter the team they cheered for, were yelling MoonMoon's name after every one of her saves. 

By the end of the day, Blue Lightning had won 9 of their 10 games, with MoonMoon managing to shut out the opposing team an amazing 5 times. During the awards ceremonies, the loudest cheers were reserved for the white fae, who grinned and waved at everyone. 

++++++++++++  
Day 2  
On the second day, Pippin took Frayonne to see the broom puckie competition. "Frodo is one of the top broom puckie players."  
"Is broom puckie similar to goal puckie?"   
"Uhm, well, no, apart from being played on ice, not really. The puckie in broom puckie is much bigger and it doesn't have a hollow middle, plus it’s made of granite, not wood. Also, it has a special handle that the players use to throw it on the ice.   
“The goal of the game is to slide your puckie as close as possible to the center ring that you see over there. Only one team scores per inning, and that team is the one that has the puckie that is closest to the center; then it scores one point per puckie that is closer to the center than the puckies from the other team. Understand?"   
"Uhm, no?"   
Pippin laughed. "I know, the rules can sound a bit confusing when you explain them, but I'm sure you'll understand once you see them play. Anyway, a normal game has 10 innings, but because this is Winterlude, we play a shortened version that only has 5 innings per game so that each team can play the others all in one day."  
"What about the broom, Pippin? Why is it called broom puckie?"  
"Oh yes, I forgot to explain that! So, like I said, one player throws the puckie so that it will slide on the ice, and the other players of the team use a broom to sweep in front of the puckie to remove anything that might be in the way, like snow or ice pellets."  
"I don't want to insult the players, but broom puckie sounds kind of boring compared to goal puckie."  
"Oh well, I don't know, I enjoy it a lot. It's true that it's not a physical game like goal puckie, but it’s all about finesse. But you'll have to see a few games before you make up your own mind about it."  
"Where's Genild? I would have thought she'd have wanted to see her boyfriend playing."  
"She'll join us later today. This morning, the Blue Lightning players are giving a goal puckie clinic to the hatchlings; all part of the winning team's benefits." 

After the first four innings of the first game, Frayonne was convinced more than ever that broom puckie was boring. Each inning seemed to consist of the players removing the other team’s puckie until the end, when the last team to play would score a single point. Every once in a while, she would hear cheering and wild clapping from the other ongoing games, but she could never tell what had happened to get that kind of reaction.

During the last inning, one of Frodo’s teammates missed his throw and his puckie slid right past the other team’s puckies. A few errors in a row and all of a sudden, the opposing team had three puckies all gathered around the center and a protecting puckie a bit further up the rink. It was now the last play of the game and it was Frodo’s turn. “You see that protecting puckie?” Pippin pointed towards the isolated stone. “If Frodo hits that at the wrong angle, it will harmlessly fly off and the other team scores three points. Even if he hits it dead center, it will only take out one of the other puckies and Frodo’s puckie will stop short of the center bullseye and they’ll score at least two points, giving them the game.”   
“So Frodo’s team is going to lose.” Frayonne said.   
“Wait and see what our friend decides to do. He might get them out of this.”  
But Frayonne couldn’t see how that was possible. 

After a long look at the lay of the game, Frodo squatted down and carefully threw his puckie, giving it a twist as he let it go.   
“Hurry!” he started yelling and the other two players swept like crazy in front of the puckie. “Hurry! Hurry! Stop!”

Frayonne couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Frodo’s puckie swept past the protecting puckie, curved inwards, hit one of the three puckies which was sent straight into the other two puckies, scattering all three puckies away from the center and clearing the area of enemy puckies. Meanwhile, Frodo’s puckie came to a stop a finger’s width from the center. 

The crowd watching the game whistled and clapped. Frayonne started jumping up and down, yelling excitedly, grabbing Pippin who was also jumping up and down. They jumped together, laughing and yelling in triumph, hugging each other. When they stopped jumping, they stood for a few seconds, holding onto each other, grinning, looking into each other's eyes. Then, swiftly, Pippin let go and squatted back down on the ice, mumbling excuses. "It's okay, it's okay," Frayonne said. They went back to watching the games, Pippin more subdued than usual.

Frayonne kept thinking about what had happened for the rest of the day. It had felt so right, being so close to Pippin. Well, he was her friend, after all, surely her best friend? But, no matter how often she tried to explain it to herself, she kept thinking about the "incident" as she now called it. It was a nice moment, more than a nice moment, even. She wouldn't even mind if it happened again, she thought to herself as she turned in to sleep.

Day 3  
"I see you have your toboggan," Genild said to Frayonne as the two female coatls met that morning in the mountain's corridors. "This morning is all about friendly tobogganing, and then this afternoon we'll have the competitions for both seated and standing."   
"I'm looking forward to it. But where are the boys?"   
"Probably at the slopes already. Tobogganing is the only thing that can get Merry out of bed early." 

They had soon found their friends through the simple expediency of spotting Sam and flying to the guardian. Pippin had snagged some cookies and was distributing them to his friends. "Might as well eat them now or they'll just be cookie crumbs by the time you finish tobogganing," he suggested as he popped a cookie into his mouth. 

"I'm in the mood for the easy slopes this morning," Genild declared in between cookies, "Frayonne, you want to come with me? Give a chance for the boys to bond over who can fall the fastest off of their toboggan." 

Merry had just opened his mouth to return an insult to Genild when the sound of a trumpet cut through the morning air: two short notes followed by a long note. Every dragon on the mountainside stopped what they were doing and looked towards the top of the mountain where the trumpeter would be standing.

"Incoming unknown dragons," Sam said, "come on, come on, to the entrance!"  
"Come on, Frayonne, we have to protect the mountain!" Genild said. 

Frayonne felt dizzy. An attack? Here? How could this be? She followed the others, her heart beating so hard she could hear it in her ears. She had to protect herself, she had to hide, there was nowhere to hide, she was going to die, someone help her please, everything was going dark, she couldn't move.

All of a sudden, she was aware of Pippin picking her up. "It's okay, it's okay, I've got her." Sam was looking down at her, the others crowding around. "Give her room!" Pippin said in an exasperated tone as he carried her towards the mountain's entrance. What had happened? "You fainted," Genild said, gently. "Did I? Wh...Oh yes. Oh no."

As they arrived at the entrance, Frayonne protesting that she could walk and Pippin refusing to put her down ("I've carried heavier familiars than you"), there was a sudden commotion: a half dozen or less dragons, armed and armored, were running out of the entrance. At their head, general Dwalin was barking a last few orders, and then the group of soldiers was taking to the air, following one of the Storm Seeker crows that had been trained as scouts for the mountain. Frayonne recognized one of the soldiers as Bilbo, Frodo's uncle. She glanced towards Frodo, whose gaze was following the soldiers as they flew towards the east. "He'll be fine," Merry told Frodo, "your uncle is one of our top enchanters." "I know, I know he can take care of himself," Frodo said, but he looked worried nonetheless. 

The last few parents were herding their hatchlings into the safety of the mountain when thane Dis, now wearing armor and a sword, rejoined the group of dragons milling at the front of the great doors. Some of the dragons were shouting questions at her, but she lifted her wings to command silence.   
"We know very little, but this is what has been reported to me. A storm seeker spotted 'many armed dragons' flying towards the mountain about a day out towards the east. We don't know the exact number; storm seekers can't count beyond six, so many could be as few as seven."  
"Or it could be hundreds!" someone in the back yelled.   
"Let us not seek cracks in the ice by stepping on it, friends!" Dis answered back. "General Dwalin is taking our best soldiers to scout the situation. If necessary, they will engage these unknown dragons in battle, but we hope to just have to scare them off." The thane looked around at the dragons standing before her. "In the meantime, we will organize the protection of the mountain as though this were a true invasion. Dragons who know how to handle a bow, go station yourselves behind the ramparts that protect the entrance. I want volunteers for balcony duty. The rest, follow me, we'll get you ready for battle duty."

+++

"I'm volunteering for balcony duty," Frodo said. "Me too," Merry said. "I'll go too," Pippin said.   
"What's balcony duty?" Frayonne asked Genild, who was staring intently at Frodo.   
"It's certain death, that's what it is," Sam yelled at his charges. "You stand on a balcony, the doors are barred behind you, and you fly at the enemy as it approaches the mountain, with no hope of reinforcement or of a place to flee to. I'm not letting you idiots do that! Genild, tell him. If you don't, I will."  
"Tell me what?" Frodo asked. "Tell me what, Genild?"  
"Ah, this was not how or when I wanted to tell you, but…, ah, surprise! I'm pregnant."  
"What? You are? This is the best news! We have to get a nest started now. But no...no, we have to protect the mountain first."  
"You won't get to nest, you won't get to see your hatchlings if you go off and get yourself killed now!" Sam lowered his tone. "Frodo, I know you want to emulate your uncle, but you're going to be a father now and you have to think about your own family first."   
"You're right, Sam. I have to be responsible now."

"I'll take balcony duty." The whole group turned towards Frayonne.   
"You don't have to do that, Frayonne." Sam said softly. "You have nothing to prove."  
"Of all the dragons here," she said, gritting her teeth, "I am the one with the most battle experience. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I am the only one here with battle experience. My chances for survival are a lot higher than any of yours." She looked at each of the dragons, her friends, around her. "Frodo, Genild, go to the hatchery, join the other parents there, you'll be as safe as can be there." The two nodded and left. "Pippin, you have a giant menagerie of dangerous familiars who obey your commands; get the best ones for battle and offer their aid to Dis." "Now why didn't I think of that myself?" Pippin muttered to himself as he hurried towards his shop. "Merry, what can you do as a top tobogganist?" Merry looked thoughtful for a few minutes, then he grinned at Frayonne. "I know all the dangerous spots where you can start an avalanche if you aren't careful. Oh and all the hidden crevices." Frayonne nodded. "I like it. Grab your colleagues, see if you can set up some traps for unwary dragons." "Yes, ma'am!" Pippin left at a run, gathering up the other athletes as he headed up the mountain.   
"And what about me?" Sam asked Frayonne.   
"I… I'm sorry, Sam, I didn't want to take your place. You're the guardian, you should be telling them what to do."  
"No, no, I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that very much. My charges, they're too young to remember the battle, but I was there when Erebor was destroyed. I was a youngster, barely out of the egg. I survived because Dis took charge, she managed to get a group of us out of there. You reminded me of her that day."  
Frayonne felt herself blushing. "I don't think I'm that good."  
Sam smiled sadly, "Oh I'm sure you don't think that. But you are. Now, what do you want me to do?"  
"I wouldn't mind having company on that balcony."  
"It would be my pleasure."

+++

The hours dragged on. Even though Frayonne and Sam were dressed with the warmest winter clothing (all white and grey so they would blend with the mountainside), the coatl could still feel the chill in the air. Every once in a while, a tiny window would be opened from the inside and someone would pass a couple of hot drinks to the two dragons, then the window would be shut and barred. They waited in silence. 

Then Sam pointed towards a tiny black speck heading towards the top of the mountain. Soon it was close enough to recognize as a crow. "News." Sam muttered. One long note from a trumpet resounded throughout the mountain. "All clear!" Sam yelled. "Oh, here they come!" Without waiting, he flew up towards the soldiers coming back. Frayonne followed. 

Four of the soldiers were holding onto a net, and in it lay a dark purple nocturne. As she approached, she realized that the nocturne had been hurt.   
"Is that the army?" Sam asked Dwalin, as he pointed towards the nocturne.  
"Hah. No, poor girl was being chased by some religious fanatics who were determined to sacrifice her to their god. We gave them a good scare, though. They won't be coming this way soon."  
"Good." Sam said. "Tell me, did you notice if her eyes were purple?"

++++++++++  
Day 3 re-dux

Thane Dis knew that, after the scare they had had, the dragons of the Lonely Mountain clan needed a distraction more than ever, so she decreed that the next day would be considered the third day of Winterlude. 

Frodo hovered over Genild and insisted she use only the beginner slopes if she was determined to go tobogganning. Genild rolled her eyes at Frodo, and decided it was best not to remind him that she had been playing goal puckie, a very physical game, three days before. 

Frayonne went with Pippin and Merry to the mid-level slopes. She was getting ready to slide down when she realized that thane Dis was standing beside her.   
"Ah majesty," she said, bowing.  
"Frayonne," Dis said, "I wished to thank you for your very clever ideas of yesterday. I have spoken to general Dwalin and they will be forthwith incorporated into our protection plans."  
"I, uh, thank you. I mean, you're welcome."   
Dis smiled at the coatl. "I would like to talk to you some more. After Winterlude has ended."  
"It would be my pleasure."

Then the thane moved on, stopping here and there to talk to other dragons on the slopes.  
"Wow!" Pippin poked Frayonne. "You're famous now!"  
"Will you two come over here?" Merry yelled at them. "The day is gorgeous, the snow is perfect, and we have some toboggans, let's slide!"

+++++++++++++  
Day 4  
Merry was walking towards the ice with the group, his gold medal around his neck. Every once in a while, he would point at a dragon, point at his medal, and yell, "First place!". These singled-out dragons would respond in a variety of ways, with more or less politeness.  
"You're such a graceful winner," Sam mocked after one such exchange.   
"Hey, when you're as good as I am, you have every reason to boast to your competitors."  
"Ah here we are," Genild said as they reached the lake. "Ice dancing. Pippin's sport. I can't even describe it, Frayonne, it has to be seen. There's ice skating, and that can be very athletic, but ice dancing, it's more about grace. Anyway, you'll see." 

Several musicians were taking their places on a stand while the competing dragons went twirling around the ice to warm up their muscles. Pippin flew by his group of friends but made no response to their hellos.

A whistle blew and the skaters made their way to a waiting area. Then one by one, each competitor would go to the middle of the marked out rink and wait. The musicians would start playing, and the skater would begin their number. 

Genild was right, Frayonne thought, this ice dancing was very elegant. She almost wanted to join them out there, gliding with ease and grace, though she knew that she would just fall over at the first slightly complicated maneuver.

Finally, it was Pippin's turn. The announcer called out that his number was entitled "The Evolution of Dance", and the orchestra began. The music moved from older tunes to newer, and with each change, Pippin's movements on the ice would seamlessly switch to a new dance style. At the end, the musicians began playing one of the Frost Beatles' best known numbers and without a pause Pippin began to twist crazily on the ice. The spectators laughed and applauded heartily as the number came to an end. 

"Third place!" Merry grumbled as they all sat together for dinner. "Those judges are blind! You were the best skater out there, Pippin."  
"It's okay, Merry, third place is a very honorable position."  
"Harrumph!" Merry grunted. "You bring in a touch of modernity and they punished you for it."  
"Well, I enjoyed it thoroughly," Frayonne said, as she touched Pippin's hand.   
"We all did," Sam said, and the others nodded.   
Pippin was smiling at Frayonne. "Did you? I was thinking about you when I came up with the idea for that number."  
Merry grinned and was about to say something when Sam hit him hard behind the head. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"   
"The table needs more beer, come with me," Sam ordered Merry, who got up, grumbling about his poor head. Genild, sensing Sam's idea, immediately engaged Frodo in a discussion on the best material for their nest. 

"Were you?" Frayonne smiled at Pippin. "I hope you weren't trying to imitate my dancing, that would have landed you in last place for sure."  
"You're wrong about that. You have natural grace, Frayonne. You were a beautiful sight to see when you were dancing."   
Frayonne felt herself blushing. "Oh, heh, I bet you say that to all the lady dragons.”   
“No. Never. I… I’ve never felt like this before, Frayonne. I know that you said that you only wanted to be friends…”  
“Oh, uh, Pippin.”   
“... but these past few days, I noticed a change in your attitude towards me, and I was hoping that maybe, perhaps, you were feeling something of what I feel towards you. If I’m wrong, that’s okay, just tell me and I won’t bother you about it ever again, but…”   
“Oh, do shut up, Pippin.” Frayonne said as she grabbed him and rubbed her cheek against his. 

“Oh.” Merry said to Sam as they were heading back towards the table, laden with beer. “Oooooh! Now I get it!” But all Sam could do was grin from ear to ear.

+++++++++++++++++  
Day 5

The last day of Winterlude was dedicated to fun. Many dragons were holding a flight race around the dragon, others were tobogganing. Pippin was trying to teach Frayonne how to skate, with more or less success. Genild was skating circle 8s around the two of them, while Frodo was following her with a pillow to catch her in case she fell. Merry was skating next to Frodo. “Hey, where’s Sam? The hatchlings are all here and I haven’t seen scale or beard of him.”   
“He’s keeping company to the nocturne they brought in. Apparently she’s finally woken up. Poor thing must have been exhausted to sleep for a whole day like that.”   
“I didn’t know Sam was looking for a new charge.”   
“I...I don’t think that’s it. All he seemed to care about was that her eyes were purple.”  
“So? I don’t get it. Is that what Sam finds sexy in lady dragons?”  
Frodo shrugged. “I am sure he’ll tell us when he chooses to.”   
“Oh yes, I am sure he will.”


End file.
